Going pro

[Dave Kay]

Hi, I recently retired and might want to be a dive master or instructor to enjoy my time off and pass along what I love about diving. What I'm wondering is why people do these 6-8 week internships. Is that required to be a divemaster?? Can I skip all that with just doing SSI/PADI training?

Also, once an instructor, are you expected to help lugging tanks, filling tanks or taking care of the boat, or just do the teaching. I'm no spring chicken any more.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Zef]

Don't go pro...just go dive an mentor new divers. If there is diving local to you, your time would be better spent starting a dive club or joining one and just be an outstanding member and diver that folks can tap in to for information, advice, etc.

Unless you plan on becoming an instructor, there is not much money in being a pro, and even as an instructor the money is not that great.

There seems to be this falacious idea that DMs and instructors are the pinnacle of diving that folks should look to as examples....this is great in theory but in reality the bar is set sooooo low to obtain those credentials, and there is no continuing education requirement to keep the credential and the holder at the cutting edge.

The reality is that one will work for a lot of time for very little money and have recurring expenses such as annual professional dues and professional liability insurance...both of these costs tend to rise each year the bill comes due.

One can certainly be passionate about diving and share that passion with others without the expense, without the potential liability, and without the possibility of turning your cherished past time into work.

-Z

 

[TMHeimer]

I think they do those long internships for several reasons. One is they feel they may get more hands-on experience with students and on boats. Another is sometimes the dive op accepts payment in the form of working for them after you are certified. Yet another is they may be young and see it as a cheap way to get in a lot of free diving in the tropics.
I took the regular PADI course 10 years ago. Due to weather and other reasons, it took me longer than the "minimum" usual time to finish. I would think that in ideal conditions you could do the whole course in a couple of weeks if you did something every day. Couple of months if every weekend.
My experience assisting was that instructors rarely hauled tanks. Other stuff instructors (and divemasters) do varies greatly. Some instructors at our shop just teach. Others do some retail work, fill tanks, etc.
I think divemasters do a lot of boat work on charter boats--like loading them, cleaning them, setting the anchor for the dives, dealing with snacks, etc.
Many DMs do charter boats as a way to get in "free" diving. Many assist on courses because they love diving and want to "give something back". Puzzling to me as that may be something someone with LeBron James' money may say. Working for tips and perks only is a huge pet peeve of mine. Or instructors who work for ridiculously low pay.
All this and everything you may ask has probably been discussed in the Going Pro subforum in Basic.

 

[CosbySweater]

Usually the DM training will include some form of hands-on learning, whether through a formal internship or through regular class support. Every shop is a going to be different. There's no requirement for the formal 6-8 week internship you speak of, though. There are multiple paths and timelines to become a DM. The one that works for you is the best one. I would start by contacting your local shop or instructor to begin the conversation, focusing on what you want to get out of the training, your own personal timeline, and what you want to do once you become a DM.

DM training is very rewarding, can be a little intense, and is very expensive. For me, the benefit is worth the cost. I supported a very small University based training center with an instructor I knew and respected. I loved it. I got to work closely with students over a 16 week semester. They we're excellent divers when we were done with them. It's incredible to watch someone who has very little in-water skills evolve in to a confident swimmer and scuba diver. You literally get to watch them open up a new world, and that's a very rewarding experience.

 

[TMHeimer]

That's a good point-- it seems it's beneficial to take the course from the place where you intend to work. When I asked about it the owner said "we always need DMs". If you take it and intend to work there they know what you can do as opposed to someone who took it elsewhere.

 

[GF99/99]

Hi, I recently retired and might want to be a dive master or instructor to enjoy my time off and pass along what I love about diving. What I'm wondering is why people do these 6-8 week internships. Is that required to be a divemaster?? Can I skip all that with just doing SSI/PADI training?

Also, once an instructor, are you expected to help lugging tanks, filling tanks or taking care of the boat, or just do the teaching. I'm no spring chicken any more.

Thanks,
Dave

Hi Dave,

Congrats on the retirement and is very exciting and great you want to spend your free time teaching diving. I am going to go on the assumption that the cost of the DM and IDC is not really an issue for you since your retired so the main reason why you should consider the longer DM "internship" is for the experience. Yes most are younger backpackers with very little income so they are also "working off" there DM cost or lots milk out there DMT to just get lots of free dives which is a bonus for the dive center and the DMT. Dive center gets free labor DMT gets to smash out 3 free dives a day for 2-6 months. I have several friends that were DMT's and never actually paid there PADI fees so technically there not DM's but all they did was pay the dive center there DM fee and they got to smash out 300-500 free dives.

Anyways sorry back to your questions yes you can skip all this I think technically you can race through your DM in 14 days. However good luck with your IDC/IE. Honestly unless your like a wizard with PADI standards and come from a teaching background you will really struggle with your IE. If you really are in this because you want to teach diving spend some time to learn from others how to do it. The quality and type of instructor you will become will be 10 times better if you do a proper "internship". Teaching diving especially to a verity of people with different personality's and ways the learn is completely different than being an actual diver. You can literally be the best diver in the world and know everything fact, number, figure, recite books, etc about diving but at the same time you could be the worst instructor in the world because you just don't know how to teach others. Actually working with real customer, working with different instructors will allow you to see there is many different teaching styles and you will have to develop your own. You will also see there is a HUGE difference in the way people learn things and you need to develop a way to cater to all these different personality's of people. The only way to do this is by putting the time in with real customers.

Really it is up to you but if you actually want to get something out of your DM and learn something then take your time your retired what is the rush, work with real customers, work with multiple instructors and other DMT's even if you spend the 6-8 weeks you still will be learning and perfecting things. Even once you do your IDC/IE you still will want to team teach etc.

Also yes most dive centers will expect you to lug tanks around, assist customers, prep gear, fully setup DSD, etc etc.

 

[TMHeimer]

Great advice from marsh9077,
From the bits & pieces I've heard about the IDC and IE and from some reading about it here and in the Undersea Journal, there seems to be a lot of time spent teaching you to be a teacher. That is, properly teaching in the PADI system and even more so just how to teach. I assisted about 15 instructors in my 4 years as a DM, all different of course, but all had a good handle on class management. Keep in mind, school teachers get a whole lot more of this type of training in university (college) over 4 years. I would guess some teachers would have a good ole time talking about class management of 6-10 students. Then again, you can't die being a school student (well, in most places....).

 

[yle]

Hi, I recently retired and might want to be a dive master or instructor to enjoy my time off and pass along what I love about diving. What I'm wondering is why people do these 6-8 week internships. Is that required to be a divemaster?? Can I skip all that with just doing SSI/PADI training?

Also, once an instructor, are you expected to help lugging tanks, filling tanks or taking care of the boat, or just do the teaching. I'm no spring chicken any more.

Thanks,
Dave

Hi Dave,

Sounds like what you're looking for is advice on the standard path to your goal, assisting with classes. What you'll find is that everywhere is different. The best thing you could do is decide where you want to assist with classes (near where you live?) and then talk to the local shops about what you want.

It won't do you any good to go through the DM course, internship attached to it or not, with the plan to assist with classes near home, only to find out that the local shops aren't really interested. Their advice should inform your plan.

As was mentioned above, the 6-8 week internship is not required to become a DM. All you need is to complete the DM course and pay your dues (literally... pay PADI or SSI.) And also as mentioned above, the 6-8 week internships are promoted because some people do them and the shops get free labor.

As an instructor, I've lugged and filled tanks when it needed to be done, but I didn't mind doing it. I probably could have left it for someone else but most of the time I was teaching small groups by myself. There is no worldwide standard expectation... your local shop (or whomever you are going to work for) can tell you theirs.

As for DM vs instructor: again, talk to your local shop. The last shop I worked at had more instructors than DMs. If I had an assistant, it was usually another instructor (and I would assist with their classes), mostly because there were a lot of them, but also because having an instructor as an assistant allows for more flexibility in what can be done with the class. Your local shop can give you an idea of how much work they'd have for you.

And of course if you're going to be assisting with classes locally, it would make the most sense to take the DM course locally. Again, every shop is different... but your local shop is more likely to keep you on as a DM if you did the course with them, instead of on some tropical island with very different conditions.

Just my two cents. Hope it helps!

 

[Dave Kay]

Hi Dave,

Congrats on the retirement and is very exciting and great you want to spend your free time teaching diving. I am going to go on the assumption that the cost of the DM and IDC is not really an issue for you since your retired so the main reason why you should consider the longer DM "internship" is for the experience. Yes most are younger backpackers with very little income so they are also "working off" there DM cost or lots milk out there DMT to just get lots of free dives which is a bonus for the dive center and the DMT. Dive center gets free labor DMT gets to smash out 3 free dives a day for 2-6 months. I have several friends that were DMT's and never actually paid there PADI fees so technically there not DM's but all they did was pay the dive center there DM fee and they got to smash out 300-500 free dives.

Anyways sorry back to your questions yes you can skip all this I think technically you can race through your DM in 14 days. However good luck with your IDC/IE. Honestly unless your like a wizard with PADI standards and come from a teaching background you will really struggle with your IE. If you really are in this because you want to teach diving spend some time to learn from others how to do it. The quality and type of instructor you will become will be 10 times better if you do a proper "internship". Teaching diving especially to a verity of people with different personality's and ways the learn is completely different than being an actual diver. You can literally be the best diver in the world and know everything fact, number, figure, recite books, etc about diving but at the same time you could be the worst instructor in the world because you just don't know how to teach others. Actually working with real customer, working with different instructors will allow you to see there is many different teaching styles and you will have to develop your own. You will also see there is a HUGE difference in the way people learn things and you need to develop a way to cater to all these different personality's of people. The only way to do this is by putting the time in with real customers.

Really it is up to you but if you actually want to get something out of your DM and learn something then take your time your retired what is the rush, work with real customers, work with multiple instructors and other DMT's even if you spend the 6-8 weeks you still will be learning and perfecting things. Even once you do your IDC/IE you still will want to team teach etc.

Also yes most dive centers will expect you to lug tanks around, assist customers, prep gear, fully setup DSD, etc etc.

I really appreciate the time you put into this reply. Sounds wise to me. Thank you!!!

 

[Dave Kay]

Don't go pro...just go dive an mentor new divers. If there is diving local to you, your time would be better spent starting a dive club or joining one and just be an outstanding member and diver that folks can tap in to for information, advice, etc.

Unless you plan on becoming an instructor, there is not much money in being a pro, and even as an instructor the money is not that great.

There seems to be this falacious idea that DMs and instructors are the pinnacle of diving that folks should look to as examples....this is great in theory but in reality the bar is set sooooo low to obtain those credentials, and there is no continuing education requirement to keep the credential and the holder at the cutting edge.

The reality is that one will work for a lot of time for very little money and have recurring expenses such as annual professional dues and professional liability insurance...both of these costs tend to rise each year the bill comes due.

One can certainly be passionate about diving and share that passion with others without the expense, without the potential liability, and without the possibility of turning your cherished past time into work.

-Z

Thanks for the opinion. I didn't expect it to be all roses, but I also can see your point.